Month: Jun 2019

While in New York City last week, I had the amazing opportunity to see many of the newly opened shows currently playing on Broadway. Seeing new theatre is pretty much my favorite thing to do, and I think this season on Broadway was especially important—it featured a large amount of racial and gender diversity both onstage and behind the scenes, and many of the shows featured new, challenging, innovative themes. Here’s what I thought of my favorite shows that I saw: 

What the Constitution Means to Me

What the Constitution Means to Me is a play both written by and starring Heidi Shreck, a woman who gave speeches on the Constitution as a teen. The play contrasts her teen self’s opinions with her opinions on the Constitution now that she’s an adult. Rather than serving as an escape from reality as many shows do, Constitution serves as a call-to-action in response to the injustices that women face in the United States, partly because they are still not explicitly protected under the Constitution. The show dives into other heavy topics, including abortion and domestic violence, and you’re probably reading this and thinking, Wow. That sounds like the most depressing play ever, I promise you, it’s not. The play concludes with a live debate between Heidi and a teenage girl. Each night, they flip a coin to decide who will be arguing for and who will be arguing against abolishing the Constitution and creating a new one. The play was extremely thought-provoking, mentally challenging, and empowering. It left me thinking about its themes for many days after, which in my book, is a piece of theatre fulfilling its job.

Be More Chill

I saw Be More Chill for the first time in March, and I loved it so much I had to see it a second time. It tells the story of high schooler Jeremy Heere, who will do (literally) anything to be popular. Jeremy swallows a pill-sized supercomputer that tells him what he needs to do to be chill. Be More Chill markets itself as a cross between Dear Evan Hansen and Little Shop of Horrors, and I’d say that sums it up well. While the show does have some science fiction elements, it’s the heart at the center of the story that makes me love it so much. This is most clearly seen in the act two showstopper, “Michael in the Bathroom.” Sung by Jeremy’s best friend Michael Mell, he basically experiences a panic attack onstage as he grapples with isolating loneliness and alienation from his peers. It is also, in my opinion, one of the best songs in musical theatre history. Every time I see it or hear it, I can’t help but be completely captivated by the rawness and vulnerability of it.

The Secret Life of Bees

This was the only off-Broadway show I saw on the trip, yet it was one of the best pieces of theatre I saw. The show was staged at a tiny church that had been converted into a theatre, but the cast featured multiple Tony winners and nominees. It felt as though their talent was literally booming out of that tiny theatre, and it was an absorbing, uplifting show based on the book of the same name. (Fun fact: when I was a freshman in high school, I got in trouble in English class for fangirling too hard over the book. True story.) Even being a huge fan of the book, the musical completely surpassed all my expectations. Mark my words, this show will be moving to Broadway in the near future.

Tootsie

If I’m being honest, I was not super excited to see Tootsie at first, as I had never felt compelled to watch the movie. I’m also not typically a huge fan of musical comedies because I tend to prefer deeper storylines. However, I loved Tootsie. I thought it was hilarious and extremely entertaining. The show featured a lot of humor that only people who have experience acting would understand, so I greatly enjoyed being in on the jokes. I also got to see Tootsie the day after the show’s lead, Santino Fontana, won Best Actor at the Tony Awards. There’s a line in the show where someone says to Santino, “People say you were going to win a Tony Award,” and in that moment, the entire audience cheered and screamed for about 45 seconds. Santino got so embarrassed that he hid behind the couch onstage. That was one of my favorite moments, so I’m glad I happened to be in the audience that night.

Hadestown

I got to see Hadestown just three days after it swept the Tony Awards and took home the grand prize of Best Musical. I have to say that its Tony wins were well deserved. I was extremely excited for this show because it was directed by (my queen) Rachel Chavkin, whose work I fell in love with after seeing Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. Hadestown is based on the Greek tragedy/love story of Orpheus and Eurydice. The show is a beautiful work of art that is so intimate and complex that I couldn’t help but feel transported to the underworld. I also think that Hadestown featured the strongest collective cast out of the shows I saw. Everyone, from the leads to each member of the ensemble, was phenomenal and fully present the entire time. Hadestown also happens to be only the second Broadway musical ever to have an all-female creative team, and it was the first to win Best Musical. The beauty, depth, and originality of Hadestown proves to me that there is a great need for Broadway to have more women on its creative teams.

Oklahoma!

The last show I saw on my trip was the new revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! It is not the bright and cheery Oklahoma! that you’re probably picturing. This production is dark, eerie, and truly experimental. It is one of the most original pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen, which is shocking since it’s a revival of a show that premiered almost 80 years ago. None of the show’s original words were changed; all that changed was how the words were said. I don’t think I will ever be able to see a normal production of Oklahoma! the same way ever again. This show also has a radical staging and lighting design. Some scenes used harshly bright lights, which in the arena-style theater, allowed you to see every single audience member, while other scenes were performed in the pitch dark. To give the show an even more immersive feel, they served chili and cornbread to the entire audience at intermission. This had to be one of my favorite shows of the week, as it pushed all boundaries of what we expect a classic piece of theatre to look like. It made me question how the messages of other classic shows could be altered when performed in a new way.

Meeting Rebecca Naomi Jones, who plays Laurey in Oklahoma!

This past week I traveled to my favorite place in the entire world: New York City. I believe there is no place more beautiful or exciting, not to mention it is also the theatre capital of the world. On this trip, I went with my mom, and we had a fantastic time exploring new neighborhoods, seeing eight shows, and attending the Tony Awards! I’m going to be making separate blog posts on the shows we saw and what it was like to attend the Tony Awards, but here are some of my favorite things we did during our days there:

Meeting Josh Groban at Shake Shack.

On Friday, my mom and I ventured up to Washington Heights, a neighborhood way up on the northern tip of Manhattan. One of my favorite musicals, In the Heights, is being turned into a movie, and my mom and I knew they would be filming in Washington Heights this summer. We wanted to see if we could see any part of the movie being filmed, and we hit the jackpot. We got to see Anthony Ramos and Melissa Barrera, who play the main characters Usnavi and Vanessa, filming a scene and we even got to meet them during their break. My mom and I are huge fans of Anthony Ramos because he was in the original cast of Hamilton, and he was truly one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. We also got to meet the film’s director, Jon Chu, who directed one of my favorite movies: Crazy Rich Asians. Everyone on set was so nice, and I cannot wait to see the In the Heights movie once it’s finally released.

With Anthony Ramos and Melissa Barrera.

With Jon Chu, the director of In the Heights.

On Sunday, my mom and I were eating lunch at the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park. As I was getting up to leave the table, a man asked me if he could have my table, and I said yes. When I glanced up at him, I saw that man was none other than JOSH GROBAN. He was wearing sunglasses, so I wasn’t 100% sure it was him. I told my mom, “I think Josh Groban just asked for my table,” so she went and discreetly asked him while at the condiments bar. He confirmed he was, indeed, Josh Groban, and that he would be presenting at the Tony awards later that night. I got a picture with him, and I was in complete shock for the rest of the day. Magical things happen in New York City.

On Tuesday, my mom and I explored some areas of New York City that we had never been to before, including Grammercy and the West Village. In Grammercy, we found a dog park and got to play with puppies, as well as ate lunch at S’MAC, a mac and cheese restaurant with a dozen different flavors of mac and cheese (so, Grammercy was basically my idea of heaven.) In the West Village, we visited the historic Stonewall Inn, which many people know to be the birthplace of the gay rights movement. June is Pride Month, and I loved getting to visit such an important monument because the events that took place there launched annual Gay Pride celebrations and the long journey towards equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community. It made my heart so happy to see that all areas of New York City were bursting with pride, and the acceptance that NYC has for all people is one of the many reasons it’s my favorite place.

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Those were a few of my favorite moments from this week in New York City. I can’t wait to share the rest of the adventures I had with you. As always, NYC made me feel at home and I can’t help but feel that every time I leave, I leave a little piece of myself behind. Until next time, NYC.

As I wrote about in my last post, I fell in love with acting at age six, and it quickly became my main passion in life. While I had dreamed of a life onstage for a long time, towards the end of high school, that dream didn’t seem possible for multiple factors—the main one being my health problems that made it difficult for me to act on stage without feeling dizzy. With that, any hope I had of being a professional actor was gone, so I turned my attention towards my other aspiration: teaching.

I had wanted to be a teacher since I was in second grade. The impact that my teachers have had on my life is immeasurable, and I wanted the chance to have that impact on my own students. Entering college, I was an elementary education/RCAH double major. I had no doubts that by the time I graduated in four years, I would be on the path to becoming an elementary school teacher. That just shows that your life’s path can never be predicted. While I knew I would enjoy being a teacher, my other passion, theatre, refused to be ignored.

In the fall of my freshman year at MSU, I joined a student group called the Wharton Center Student Marketing Organization (WCSMO). It’s a student group that markets the Broadway and performing arts shows that come to Wharton Center to MSU students. I joined the club simply because I thought it would give me a chance to talk about Broadway shows with others. I learned that WCSMO did an annual marketing retreat to New York City during spring break where they meet with different theatre marketing agencies. I instantly knew that I wanted to go, mainly because I love the city, and it would give me a chance to see Broadway shows. I was not prepared for the greater effect that the trip would have on me.

On that trip, I got to learn from many executives who worked on Broadway, including marketing/PR directors, company managers, producers, and theater owners. I became completely fascinated by these jobs that I previously had no clue existed. It was then that I realized this is what I wanted to do with my life. About a week after I got home from the trip, I called my mom with the decision that I had been toiling with repeatedly: I told her I would be dropping my education major and instead focusing on pursuing the professional side of theatre. To my shock, she was not at all surprised. She expected that this call was coming, and thankfully she supported my decision.

It’s now two years later, and I’m going strong in pursuing a career on the professional side of theatre. RCAH allows me to explore my main passions—theatre, writing, and social justice—while giving me exposure to other topics as well. I added an Arts and Cultural Management minor, and I am working at the Wharton Center as a marketing intern for their Broadway series. In addition, this past year I served as WCSMO’s treasurer, which means I was in charge of co-planning the NYC marketing retreat. I led a group of 15 students, and we met with agencies such as Disney Theatrical and The Broadway League. I also got to job shadow employees from Broadway.com and New York City Center. It was an awesome experience, and I will be co-planning the trip again in this coming year.

Although my career plans have changed, I’m hopeful that I can still positively impact others while working in the theatre. I wholeheartedly believe in the powers of theatre, and through my career, I will get to share theatre’s capabilities of transforming and healing the lives of people with audiences. My goal is to move to New York City after graduation, and either market or write about Broadway shows. Through my studies, my internship at Wharton Center, and my leadership position with WCSMO, I’m actively working towards this goal every day, and I’m not stopping until I get there.

A side note—on Thursday I’ll be headed to New York City for a week, so my next blog post won’t be until after I get back. The good news is I’ll be posting fun NYC content once I return!